Crunch time on Sunday for France and its creation, the European Union (EU) and extraordinary though it may sound, "the Hindu" has joined the Polish plumber as the bogeyman of wealthy western Europe.

"The Hindu" is, of course, a loose, wildly inaccurate reference to the economic threat posed by India. Like the Polish plumber and the Portuguese bricklayer before him, "the Hindu" has become the man who would steal Europe's jobs. The French fear the long shadow cast by "the Hindu". That presumed Oriental devil is surprise fantastical figure in a frenzied debate about what Europe is supposed to mean to its 450 million people. Wildly differing perspectives on "the Hindu" are colouring the argument about whether or not Europe needs to re-structure its economy, slash its social welfare budgets, re-orient itself to the wider world and allow the forces of globalisation to sweep away old certainties about cradle-to-grave state provision.

Consider this: in Yutz, a small town in Lorraine, in north-eastern France, a septuagenarian opposed to the new EU constitution says the 'oui' camp is misguided. "Wait until your job goes to a Pole or a Hindu. You (the 'yes' camp) are a traitor," he says in anguish.

Adds Daniel Cohn-Bendit, the French-born German Jew who has been the most consistent, passionate and persuasive campaigner for France to vote 'yes' to

the new constitution: "(France's) independence depends, and will depend more in the future on a strong Europe, a political Europe, as well as an economic Europe, which will defend our interests, which are not always those of the US and may not be those of China or India."

No surprises too that Jose Bove, the excitable southern French farmer with a penchant for Mahatma Gandhi's tactics of non-violent resistance, has been leading the anti-globalisation wing of the 'non to the EU constitution' movement. Bove, whose distinctive Gallic brow and Asterix moustache became familiar to people around the world six years ago, when he acquired distinctly un-Gandhian militant credits by destroying a branch of McDonalds, has always said he "totally agrees with Gandhi's thoughts on village republics."

In a sense then, France wants to return to that Utopian ideal, the village republic with fine dining, a ripe Roquefort, the king of cheeses and presumably a bottle of 1961 Cheval Blanc, a truly remarkable Saint Emilion. The angst would be touching if it were not so misplaced. Decoded properly, "the Hindu" has become French shorthand for globalisation. France does not want it. But it cannot roll it back. It is not too bizarre to say "the Hindu" – and all he represents – is now the faultline at which Europe's proposed new constitution will stand or fall. That is not a catastrophe, just another problem for the 25-member EU grouping more than half-a-century after the quest began for ever-closer European Union. But it is symbolic, in any case, of mainland Europe's spreading malaise of choleric despair.

So, France – and parts of western Europe – are tracking the Hindu/ Indian's progress up the international food chain. But for most Indians, all this agonising over Europe's new constitution is often boring, occasionally banal and always baffling. Whether or not the French say 'oui' or 'non' to the new constitution – and we will know the answer by 4 am IST Monday – the real situation is as follows. The 300-page document is the world's second-longest constitution, after India's. It merely pulls together and formalises all the successive treaties and agreements that have accumulated over the years. It does not leave the EU – or the French – any more or any less exposed to the much-advertised, awesome might of "the Hindu". The Indians are already at Europe's gates. It may be time the EU realised it.

India is likely to sign an agreement soon to participate in an European Union (EU)-promoted ambitious satellite-based navigation system, giving a major boost to their economic and political ties.

The EU hopes India, with its sharp edge in the technology domain, will be able to significantly contribute to the Galileo satellite positioning and navigation services system that is being positioned as a rival to the US Global Positioning System (GPS).

"We have been discussing India's participation in the project for over three years now. A framework agreement on this is likely to be signed in a few weeks' time," said a senior European Commission official working on the project.

"The final text of the agreement is being prepared and it is likely to be signed at the ministerial level soon," the official, who didn't want to be named said.

The Galileo project is a joint initiative of the EU and the European Space Agency. The EU says the growing requirements of global coverage cannot be met by a single satellite system alone.

Conceptualised in 1999, the Galileo programme is likely to cost 3.4 billion euro when it becomes operational in 2008. China and Israel have already signed for the project.

According to the official, India, with its vast geographical area, stands to benefit significantly from the Galileo project that will comprise a constellation of 30 satellites.

"The Galileo programme is being developed as a civil project for civil purposes. It can be used for traffic management, mobile telephony, exploration of oil and minerals," he added.

India had agreed to participate in the Galileo programme at the end of the fourth India-EU Summit in 2003.

China has committed an investment of 200 million euro in order to finance specific activities in the development and deployment phase of the navigation system.

The European Commission official said besides India countries like Canada, Russia, Argentina and South Korea were also likely to enter into formal agreements to participate in the programme.

"With India's proven expertise in the areas of technology, it can be a major contributor of the project. India has very good capability in the areas of launching satellites," said the official.

India's participation in the high-profile project will significantly enhance its status as a strategic partner to the 25-member region, said the official.

"Galileo is vital for the future of Europe's high-technology industries. It will generate newer and larger markets and provide the critical advance in technology for Europe and its partners."

Typical hair-brained analysis from TOI with no author name. I did follow the campagin in France and India's name got pulled only a few times by some far-right politicians. Otherwise among mainstream opinion, the Turks, the 'Polish Plumber' and the Chinese textile worker got referred many more times. More importantly, the 'non' vote was against Chirac and his economic policies.

Like many of the French elite, Villepin studied at the prestigious National Administration School. He was a spokesman at the French Embassy in Washington during the 1980s, polishing his excellent English there and as a diplomat in India.

Our Bureau / Bangalore June 01, 2005
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Infosys Technologies has bagged a Euro 31 million three-year contract to set up a research and development facility for Alstom, a French engineering group that makes power plants, locomotives and ships.

Alstom will use the centre to make its power plants more efficient and to “customise and localise” them for various markets, senior executives from the companies told reporters here on Tuesday.

This represents a “step up” from an existing one-off projects-based relationship between the two companies, Nandan M Nilekani, managing director and chief executive officer of Infosys, said.

Philipe Joubert, an executive vice president of the Alstom Group, said, the centre will employ some 300 staff in three years. At that time, Alstom could spend up to a fifth of its power business’ R&D money in India, Joubert, president of that business, said. How much that fifth would be, he wouldn’t say.

Infosys’ engineers will start with making existing processes of the power generating plants more efficient, but go on to use mathematical modelling and computer aided design software to make the plants more “environment friendly”, Charles Soothil, a vice president for technology. They will also work with proprietary software supplied by Alstom.

Soothil, responsible for Alstom Power’s “New Equipment R&D Strategy and Future Technology”, said the idea is to get more power per unit of fuel used, irrespective of the type of fuel. Alstom has sold power plants in India whose combined installed capacity is 2,500 MW, a company release said.

The company’s power plants account for a large chunk of all electricity produced worldwide. They include three large nuclear power stations in China.

The contract brings Infosys’ product life cycle and engineering solutions greater visibility, which is the “independent business unit” that will be at the core of this project. Work will start with an initial strength of 60 engineers, an Infosys statement said.

Worldwide, Alstom Power had some 1,200 R&D staff, “excluding product engineering” spread over 18 centres, Soothil said. So, The Infosys centre, at its Electronics City campus, will be one of the largest, he said.

Alstom Power was formed in the year 2000, when Swiss-Swedish power equipment maker Asea Brown Boveri sold its stake in ABB Alstom Power, a 50:50 joint venture company, to Alstom.

After nearly going bankrupt in 2003, Alstom, the maker of TGV fast trains and the Queen Mary 2 ship was bailed out by the French government with an ¤8 billion soft loan
Link

Nokia Corp. announced Tuesday that it will be manufacturing base-station controllers in India. The base-station controllers will be made at a manufacturing facility in Chennai where the company is planning to make mobile devices.

Nokia Corp. announced Tuesday that it will be manufacturing base-station controllers in India. The base-station controllers will be made at a manufacturing facility in Chennai where the company is planning to make mobile devices.

The production of both the mobile devices and the base-station controllers will start during the first half of next year, the company said.

Nokia announced in April this year that it would be making mobile devices in Chennai. The company also has three research and development (R&D) facilities in India.

An anticipated boom in mobile telephony use in India is attracting multinational and local companies to set up manufacturing operations in the country. India's mobile telephone subscriber base touched 100 million in April, and the government is now targeting 250 million mobile telephone subscribers by 2007.

Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson in Stockholm, Sweden, for example, is making radio base stations in India. Elcoteq Network Corp, an Espoo, Finland based electronics manufacturing services (EMS) company, has also set up a manufacturing facility in Bangalore in Karnataka state, where the company plans to make terminal equipment such as mobile phones, and communications network equipment like mobile base stations and routers for broadband equipment.

New manufacturing facilities are likely to come up in India as Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) in Delhi, India's large state-owned telecom services provider is planning to introduce a change in its purchase policy, that will require its suppliers to manufacture equipment locally.

"BSNL is going to make changes in its purchase policy, and they are going to insist that whenever they buy equipment, it will have to be manufactured in India, because they can get good service backup," Dayanidhi Maran, India's minister for communications and information technology said in April.

Reykjavik: Iceland has sought a Free Trade Agreement with India on the lines of its accord with China and Singapore to boost bilateral trade.

Iceland Prime Minister Halldor Asgrimsson raised the issue during discussions with President A P J Abdul Kalam today during which two agreements, including an Air Service Agreement (ASA) which is an enabling document to be cleared by the cabinet, were signed.

The issue of double taxation and Bilateral Investment Protection Act (BIPA) also figured during the meeting.

Dr Kalam directed officials in the External Affairs Ministry to complete the formalities for both the agreements by June 20.

The ASA stipulates that Iceland would agree to the fifth and sixth clauses, which allow the second country to touch other nations while landing.

Secretary (West) Shashi Tripathi said that commercial flights are greatly influenced by the commercial viability factor and the companies, which will be involved in the air services would look into that aspect.

She said that Prime Minister Asgrimsson on his own raised the issue of India's bid for a seat in the United Nations Security Council and said that UN reforms would have no meaning without proper expansion of the Security Council.

He justified his countries decision to co-sponsor the G-4 draft resolution and said the chances of the smooth passage of the resolution were ''very good,'' she said.

He described India as a superpower in the field of Information Technology and said his country favoured strong tie-ups with India in that sector.

The Prime Minister evinced keen interest in the screening of Hindi films in Iceland and said the film on Mahatma Gandhi had found great viewership in his country.

Reykjavik, May 31 : India and Iceland Tuesday decided to open up air traffic to give a boost to tourism, trade and people-to-people contacts between the two countries.

The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding and initialled an Air Services Agreement that details what are known as the "5th and 6th freedom rights" that allow direct and transit flights between the two nations, as well as code sharing arrangements.

The documents were signed by the Indian ambassador here in the presence of visiting Indian President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam after delegation level talks between the two sides at the office of Iceland's Prime Minister Halldor Asgrimsson.

The Air Services Agreement will now go to the cabinet for clearance.

Once the cabinet clears the agreement, airlines of the two countries will consider the commercial viability of air services and decide on when and how to start direct flights.

Kalam is in Iceland on the third leg of a fortnight-long, four-nation tour that has already taken him to Russia and Switzerland. He will leave for Ukrauine Wednesday, before returning to New Delhi June 4.

We learnt a lot when our guns were pushed beyond limits: Bofors officials

SHIV AROOR

Posted online: Saturday, June 04, 2005 at 0244 hours IST

KARLSKOGA (SWEDEN), JUNE 3: You cannot miss Kargil in this little Swedish town, headquarters of Bofors Defence, the centrepoint between Stockholm and Oslo. While its 30,000 citizens may not have have heard of the Delhi High Court’s views on the Bofors case, most here know about Kargil and speak of it with pride.

As The Indian Express was taken on a guided tour of the Bofors’ top scientific research departments, one critical fact pervaded all else: The Indian Army’s use of Bofors L-39 guns during the Kargil conflict created a revolution of sorts in how armies would forever use howitzers.

Says Bofors’ R&D chief Claes Carpenfelt: ‘‘The Kargil war defined the way Bofors will develop its future artillery systems. It has changed the way technology is looked at. Kargil was necessary for our development.’’

Walking through the winding corridors of its huge research centre, the recognition of India’s victory at Kargil, at least in part because of the performance of the Bofors guns, is based on a detailed study of how the Indian Army pushed the guns beyond their prescribed limits.

In every sense, the inventive use of L-39 field artillery (purchased in 1986) at the Kargil heights is seen in these buildings here as nothing short of genius.

The Army’s use of the direct firing method (with a low trajectory never before employed by the Swedish Army or Bofors), its appealingly simple use of high-altitude short-range firing and the resourceful use of ordnance in anti-material operations has created a revolution in artillery technology.

In short, Bofors and the Swedish Army learnt things about their guns that they didn’t think had previously been possible.

It was in 2000 that the company, after being bought over by American firm United Defense, went to work, putting the knowledge of Kargil into its 155mm L-52 towed gun. Lt Col Nils Gustafsson, who commanded the Swedish Army’s artillery development department last year, was hired in May by Bofors to be a liaison between the needs of global armies and the development process at Bofors Defence. His perception of the Indian Army’s needs—despite its ambitiously multifarious requirements—perpetuate a yardstick that it has become crucial for Bofors to follow.

‘‘Sweden and India have a lot in common, especially in field artillery. India is an ideal scenario to judge the use of artillery because it has both predictable and unpredictable conflict scenarios. I cannot overstate how much Bofors has learnt just from trials held in India, about out very own guns,’’ Gustafsson said.

The third round of trials for the Bofors L-52 gun ended last month in Rajasthan and Sikkim and the ‘‘exhaustive nature of the trials’’ has convinced Bofors that all future development will stem from the L-52 platform.

Interestingly, based on the notes prepared by Bofors on its own perception of the L-52’s performance in India, the Swedish Army has decided to induct the L-52 in large numbers, and will progressively alter the operational profile of the gun, from conventional warfare scenarios to peacekeeping and peace enforcement missions. It currently operates three L-39 gun battalions.

Carpenfelt said: ‘‘It was important for us to see how our systems performed in a war scenario. There is only so much you can learn from trials and joint exercises. Kargil was crucial to the future of the science of making artillery guns.’’

Finland offers immense joint venture opportunities for the cash-starved Indian forestry and paper industry, according to Finnish ambassador Glen Lindholm.

"The Indian pulp and paper sector needs huge investments for their expansion and modernisation. Though Indian companies are competitive, they do not have the proper technology to scale up their activities," Lindholm said on the sidelines of a meeting today.

The Indian paper industry is poised to increase the present output of 5.6 million tonnes to meet the projected demand of 8.3 million tonnes by 2010. This expansion would call for an investment of Rs.30,000 crore.

"We are capable of filling the gap. Finnish expertise and
innovativeness in paper technology is among the best in the world," he said, noting that 20 years of research and development in the pulp, paper and the wood industry had catapulted Finland among the best in the world in the sector.

Lindholm said his country could also offer its expertise in development and management of forest, which covers 70% land area of Finland - which also boasts of having 190,000 lakes.

The majority of Finnish forests are owned by individual families and every fifth finnish family owns some forests and many households gain extra income by selling wood to the forest industry.

LONDON (AFP) - Europe's oldest civilisation has reportedly been discovered by archaelogists across the continent.

More than 150 large temples, constructed between 4800 BC and 4600 BC, have been unearthed in fields and cities in Germany, Austria and Slovakia, predating the pyramids in Egypt by some 2,000 years, The Independent newspaper revealed.

The network of temples, made of earth and wood, were constructed by a religious people whose economy appears to have been based on livestock farming, The Independent reported.

Excavations have taken place over the past three years but the discovery is so new that the civilisation has not yet been named.

The most complex centre discovered so far, beneath the city of Dresden in Saxony, eastern Germany, comprises a temple surrounded by four ditches, three earthen banks and two palisades.

"Our excavations have revealed the degree of monumental vision and sophistication used by these early farming communities to create Europe's first truly large scale earthwork complexes," said Harald Staeuble, from the Saxony state government's heritage department.

The temples, up to 150 metres (164 yards) in diameter, were made by a people who lived in long houses and villages, the newspaper said. Stone, bone, and wooden tools have been unearthed, along with ceramic figures of people and animals.

A village at Aythra, near Leipzig in eastern Germany, was home to some 300 people living in up to 20 large buildings around the temple.

"The senior official's appointment as ambassador was announced several months ago, after the country in question approved the “agreement” of the proposed appointment. But when it came to the envoy's travel to assume charge (the post has been vacant since April-end), the country's embassy in New Delhi has been consistently putting off issuing the ambassador's visa, saying "tomorrow" and "next week"."

Big difference between China and India. Think of what the Chinese would have done in this case. We need to take H&D seriously.

LONDON: In an extraordinary updating of history, London's mayor has boldly gone where the Grand Old Man of India once went before, by reversing Dadabhai Naoroji's 1901 theory of the drain of wealth from the Ganges to the Thames.

Now, says mayor Ken Livingstone in a new report due out on Monday night, there is a constant and cheering mutually-beneficial flow of wealth from the Ganges to the Thames with Indian foreign direct investment in the British capital second only to that of the US.

Livingstone's report, titled somewhat cheekily From the Ganges to the Thames, says London was the destination for 55 of 119 Indian FDI projects in Europe between 1997 and 2004. It represents a remarkable rise from a grand total of just five Indian FDI projects in 1997.

The report, commissioned by the mayor to reflect the altered reality of voluntary Indian contribution to the British economy, uses the Ernst and Young European Investment Monitor to identify trends and patterns of Indian FDI into London, the UK as a whole and the rest of Europe.

There are decidedly mixed feelings in Britain about Thatcher and her legacy, but the attraction of foreign capital became a top economic priority under her and has remained so under all following governments. The resulting competiveness is why the UK is the third largest destination for external investment, after the US and PRC (which very recently displaced it in the No. 2 position) and is one of the main reasons the UK's employment rates are higher than most of the rest of W.Europe. As Indian businesses and investors grow and look for profitable opportunities it is only natural that they would be atracted to the Britain, just as British companies are attracted to India.

India-Poland trade exhibition at Warsaw London, June 13 (UNI) In a bid to boost India-Poland trade and foster dialogue between industry leaders, investors, exporters and importers of both countries, a multi-sector Indian exhibition is being organised in Warsaw this week coinciding with the completion of 50 years of Indo-Polish diplomatic relations.

Named India Initiative-2005, the three-day event beginning June 16 is being organised by the Indo Polish Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the initiation of the All India Association of Industries in cooperation with the Embassy of India in Warsaw.

The Indian Embassy in Warsaw said the objective of the exclusive multi-sector Indian exhibition was to strengthen the economic, commercial and cultural ties between the two countries. Bilateral trade between India and Poland had increased to 401 million dollars last year from 306 million dollars in 2003.

Indian companies at the event would be from the sectors of textiles, home furnishings, handicrafts, jewellery, steel, IT, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, tea, paper products, leather, handloom, automotive parts and agricultural products.

Also participating would be a number of government councils like the Tea Board, Coir Board, Export Promotion Council of Handicrafts and Khadi Village and Industries Commission.

Besides the business delegation comprising almost 50 companies, the event will showcase Indian pop singer Mehnaz, who will perform at the inaugural show at the Palace of Culture.

The next day will feature a business seminar where Indian businessmen will meet with their Polish counterparts for discussions and introduction of their capabilities to do business with each other.

A revamped Polish-India Chamber of Commerce with an expanded membership will also be launched at the business seminar with a view towards furthering bilateral trade

LONDON: India has emerged as Asia's second largest investor in Britain with an impressive 47 percent increase in foreign investment projects in the last fiscal, official statistics showed.

Twenty-eight Indian companies invested in Britain during 2003-04, bringing India Inc.'s presence in the country to 480 firms, said figures release by the United Kingdom Trade and Investment.

Japan was the top investing country from Asia with 52 projects, while China ranked lower than India with 23 projects, the data showed.

Overall, 811 investment projects from 40 countries set up operations in Britain in the last fiscal, up 14 percent from the previous year's figure of 709.

"The year 2003-04 continued to witness recognition by Indian companies that the UK is the ideal business investment location of choice in Europe, and second only to the U.S. globally," said Mark Dolan, deputy director, inward investment.

"India is now the second largest source of foreign direct investment into the UK from Asia in terms of projects and jobs generated, and ranks among the UK's top 10 foreign direct investment markets."

BRUSSELS – After China agreed to slow some textiles exports to Europe, European textile makers are targeting India's exports as the next biggest threat.

Nations with big textile industries are pushing to stall a European Union plan that would give trade discounts to textile makers from India and other developing nations, EU officials and diplomats said. Under the program, Indian textiles exporters would see their customs duties in Europe cut by a fifth.

Italy, France, Spain and Portugal are leading the opposition to the plan, the officials said. EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson had tried to start it April 1 and now is trying to get it in motion by July 1.

India says its textiles are made in a fragile cottage industry that employs 85 million people, most of them women, and such small businesses need European help. "We don't understand why India is seen as a threat," said an Indian diplomat in Brussels.
[Chart]

The debate underlines the continuing tensions over how best to respond to Asia's growing competitiveness. Manufacturers, particularly in southern Europe, want protection. Northern Europe-based retailers and consumers are demanding access to less expensive products.

Mr. Mandelson argues he already has given European textile makers some protection in the deal with China. In China yesterday, state media reported Beijing will limit the growth of exports of 10 categories of textiles to Europe between 8% and 12.5% a year.

Textile exporters aren't convinced. Francesco Marchi, trade and legal-affairs director at Euratex, Europe's largest textile industry association, said India represents almost as big a danger to the European industry as China.

India is Europe's third-largest textiles supplier after China and Turkey. European imports of Indian textiles and clothing rose an average of 10% in the first quarter, following the world-wide lifting of quotas on textile trade. In the previous five years, such imports were virtually flat.

Indian textile exports have sparked less alarm in Washington, in part because Indian exports to the U.S. aren't climbing as quickly and because the mechanisms for dealing with India aren't as clear as with China, where Beijing agreed to potential protective measures when it joined the World Trade Organization.

In Europe, the question is whether India should qualify for the trade discounts the EU wants to give out. The trade commissioner wants to give discounts to India until its share of textiles imported under the program reaches 12.5%. Italy and France want the threshold to drive countries out of the program to be 10%, which would exclude India, which already is at 11%.

Separately, China hopes to reach an agreement with the European Union on shoe exports as it did on textiles, an official at China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. European shoemakers are demanding a stop to Chinese shoes flooding into the EU at what they say are unfairly low prices.

HYDERABAD, JUNE 19: Matrix Laboratories Ltd has acquired a controlling stake in Belgium-based Docpharma NV at a cost of $263 million, making it the largest acquisition to date by an Indian pharmaceutical company.

Announcing this N Prasad, Chairman and CEO announced that Matrix will be paying Euro 34 for each share acquired and a premium of 13.3% on the last trading price. “The acquisition of Docpharma allows us to gain direct access into under-represented, high growth generic pharmaceutical markets of Belgium and Southern Europe,” he said.

Though the enterprise value amounts to $238 million, Matrix will initially finance the transaction through a combination of cash on hand and bank borrowings. However, if required, the company might consider raising funds in the capital markets to reduce the bank borrowings post-transaction. The company has already received approval from the share holders for raising Rs 200 crore, Mr Prasad said.

This is the second significant transaction announced by the company. The first announcement was the in-principle merger of Matrix with Strides Arcolab Ltd for which due diligence is being carried out. Post-transaction with Docpharma, two-thirds of the combined entity's revenues will be generated in regulated markets with half the revenue generated in Europe and accounting for a major share of European sales.

Speaking at the meet, Stijn Van Rompany, Chief Operating Officer, Docpharma NV said the company is planning to launch about 80 new products in the next one year thus taking the total number of products under its brand to 130 with a sales turnover of $138 million.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US
President George W. Bush said he wanted the crisis-hit
European Union to be a "strong" global partner, as he and visiting EU leaders took a united approach to
Iran,
North Korea, and Lebanon.

"The United States continues to support a strong European Union as a partner in spreading freedom and democracy and security and prosperity throughout the world," he said after the annual US-EU summit at the White House.

The European Union is reeling after its failure to agree on a long-term budget and the postponement of plans to adopt a constitution after French and Dutch voters crushingly rejected the charter.

"We made clear in our frank and open and friendly talks with the president that the European Union is not (on) its knees," said Juncker, who has warned that the 25-nation bloc may see its global influence shrink.

In a series of joint statements, the United States and the European Union declared a united front on issues like North Korea's nuclear weapons programs, Iran's atomic energy ambitions, and recent elections in Lebanon.

They demanded that Pyongyang dismantle its nuclear weapons "in a permanent, transparent, thorough, and verifiable manner," while renewing their support for six-nation diplomacy.

On Iran, the United States and Europe Union reaffirmed their support for talks led by Britain, France and Germany and urged Tehran to freeze uranium enrichment and reprocessing and cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog agency.

In his remarks, Bush thanked Europe for "sending a clear message to the leadership in Iran that we're not going to tolerate the development of a nuclear weapon." Tehran denies charges that it seeks atomic weapons.

Washington and Brussels also jointly welcomed Lebanon's elections, which led to a victory by the anti-Syrian opposition, and said they would consider calling an international conference to solicit support for a new government.

"Once the Lebanese government has defined its reform agenda and should it so request, we will consider convening an international conference to consolidate support for the Lebanese people and the new government," according to a joint US-EU statement.

Both sides insisted that deep transAtlantic divisions over the war in
Iraq were in the past, with Bush and Juncker pointing to US-EU sponsorship of an international conference on Iraqi reconstruction that is set to open in Brussels on Wednesday.

"There may have been past differences over Iraq, but as we move forward, there is a need for the world to work together so that Iraq's democracy will succeed," said the US president.

"When it comes to substance, when it comes to progress, when it comes to democracy, to freedom and to liberty, both the US and the European Union are cooperating closely together and working in the same direction," said Juncker.

In their joint statements, the two sides also reaffirmed their support for Israel's controversial plan to withdraw from the
Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank and expressed strong support for Palestinian elections.

"We support the holding of free, fair, and transparent multi-party legislative elections in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, under the scrutiny of international observers and with full freedom of movement for candidates and voters," they said.

They also expressed "deep concern" about the human rights situation in Zimbabwe and said they stood ready to provide help in the event of a dire food shortage there.

However, MGI concluded the French economy gained only 86 cents from every €1 invested by French companies in offshoring centres. This was because French companies invested more heavily in North Africa and eastern Europe, where the cost savings were less than in India. Moreover, French companies did not reap as much profit from investing in offshoring centres or from selling related IT products.

PTI[ SATURDAY, JUNE 18, 2005 01:15:20 PM]Surf 'N' Earn -Sign innowMOSCOW: India is displaying its economic prowess at an expo in Warsaw as it eyes Poland as a springboard to enter European Union markets.

"Poland is an interesting country for India because it is now an EU member and a springboard as well as entry point for the larger combined EU market," Indian ambassador to Poland Anil Wadhwa said inaugurating a three-day Indian multi product exhibition in Warsaw earlier this week.

He said that India is interested in investments in the ferrous as well as non-ferrous sectors, as well as automotive components and parts, textiles and pharmaceuticals.

Traditional Indian export items including handicrafts, jewellery, textiles, leather along with IT, pharmaceuticals, steel and chemical products are being displayed at the Indian exhibition entitled "India initiative 2005" at the historical Palace of Culture in Warsaw, an embassy release said.

Four state governments - Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat are sponsoring their companies at the exhibition, co-ordinated by the All India Association of Industries in cooperation with the Indian embassy.

The exhibition also includes display of traditional Indian crafts like tie and dying, carpet weaving, Khadi spinning and embroidery, it said.

Leading pop singer Mehnaz presented the face of modernity of India in Poland with a live concert at the Palace of Culture for the cream of Warsaw society followed by Indian wine tasting - another first in Poland.

"The significance of this event is that for the first time ever, we have more than 150 Indian businessmen and companies participating in an exclusive Indian exhibition in Poland," Wadhwa said.

"India Initiative 2005" is a reflection of the fast changing scenario in Indo-Polish bilateral trade and investments as two countries recently celebrated golden jubilee of their diplomatic relations, the release said.

"Last year we generated the best results since 1990s - over USD 400 million in bilateral trade," Wadhwa said.

The $400 million mark denotes a 30 per cent growth in bilateral trade and a 40 per cent growth of India's exports to Poland.

In the first quarter of 2005, bilateral trade has continued to grow at a rate of 30 per cent.

Indo-Polish trade is set to receive a further boost in October, when LOT (Polish Airlines) will resume three flights a week to New Delhi from Warsaw.

After the closing of exhibition many Indian businessmen will travel to the twin cities of Gdansk and Gdynia for business seminars, it added.

Back on March 2/05, DID covered the EU's inability to render a decision on bids for the EUR 3.2B ($4.2B) Galileo satellite navigation system. Instead, it asked the Eurely and iNavSat consortia to resubmit bids for a final selection within three months. This has now happened, with a twist: the consortia merged and presented a single bid. EADS SPACE Services, Inmarsat, and Thales and joined from iNavSat, while Aena, Alcatel, Finmeccanica SpA, and Hispasat joined from the Eurely venture.

This would seem to end the wrangling, except that Galileo's largest financier is now unhappy.

German Transport Minister Manfred Stolpe threatened Tuesday to cut its funding if the consortium in charge of the operation refuses to involve more German companies.

The German companies Jenoptik and T-Systems had initially hoped to play a complementary role in one or other of the consortia. Stolpe believes that, given the number of companies already involved, there will no further opportunity for German businesses to get involved. Given the recent announcement that India would join the project, the participation of China and Israel, and the inevitable work-sharing compromises involved in merging the two consortia, Stople may well be correct.

Germany is currently the largest financer of the Galileo project, having already contributed about EUR 100 million. It is scheduled to pay up another EUR 80 million shortly.

By Tim Hepher
PARIS (Reuters) - France's Thomson SA is poised to sell its remaining tubes business to an Indian buyer in a roughly 200 million euro deal that completes its exit from TV set production, a source close to the transaction said on Monday.

The deal, which is due to be announced this week, comes shortly after Thomson sold its Italian tubes manufacturing plant to Indian consumer electronics maker Videocon. Industry sources said the same company is a likely buyer for the rest of the rest of the assets.

Thomson declined to comment.

Videocon was not immediately available for comment.

The deal completes Thomson's transformation from a once struggling consumer electronics firm, formerly owned by the French state, to a group serving the media and entertainment industries through post-production and high-tech services.

Analysts have valued any sale of the tubes business at 200 million euros ($243.6 million) or slightly above following writedowns last year.

If Videocon is confirmed as the buyer, analysts say the Indian company would emerge as the global leader in tubes manufacturing.

The deal involves the transfer of some 12,000 staff and control of three factories in China, Mexico and Poland.

Thomson had already announced it was looking for a buyer for its cash-consuming TV tubes business to try to improve its margins, and expected to reach a deal by the end of the year.

It made provisions of 780 million euros in depreciation charges tied to its displays and components assets in its 2004 accounts.

Thomson sold its TV assembly business to Chinese company TCL in 2004 and started looking to India's expanding consumer market as a way of disposing of the glass and electronic innards of TV set manufacture.

The sale marks a huge makeover since a former French prime minister valued the then moribund Thomson at "one symbolic franc" in the 1990s. It now focuses on programming services to Hollywood such as the computerised battle scenes in "Troy" or adding special effects with a mouse to the "Harry Potter" movies.

These activities, along with its network operations and the manufacturing of high-tech set-top boxes now make up around four fifths of its revenues before the tubes sale, compared with less than one fifth in 2000, analysts say.

Thomson shares, which have risen 5 percent this year to value the company at 5.58 billion euros, slipped 0.8 percent on Monday to 20.43 euros but outperformed a weaker Paris market.

Swedish makers of the world's first biogas train hope to market it in India, where vast stretches of rail tracks use diesel engines in the absence of electricity.

Biogas train "Amanda" has been jointly developed by Tekniska Verk, a Swedish biogas company, and Swedish railways subsidiary EuroMaint.

"Sweden has something special for India," Lars-Goran Olsson, sales director of EuroMaint, said on Amanda's recent maiden trip in Linkoping.

The prototype will go into regular service later this summer between Linkoping and Vastervik, about 160 kilometre. Later, it will extend services to the port city of Kalmar (260 kilometre).

Gradually, as more trains are readied, the rest of the unelectrified stretches in the country would be covered.

"We had India very much in mind during the development of this train," said Bertil Carlsson, project leader at Tekiniska Verk in Linkoping.

"India, besides having the largest railway network in the world, also has the largest stretches of un-electrified railways over which diesel engines are used. That is where the biogas train can work environmental and economic wonders."

The prototype has been built by replacing the diesel motors in a 25-year-old engine with modern gas-driven motors, the same used in some of the biogas-driven buses.

"Biogas is renewable. It reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 98 percent as well as nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons by two thirds compared to diesel," said Bjorn Sunden, executive vice president, EuroMaint.

"The diesel tanks have been replaced by 11 gas tubes which, when filled to capacity, can be driven for 600 kilometre. The train can run at a maximum speed of 135 kilometre per hour," Sunden said.

India is already exploring eco-friendly energy sources, with buses and taxis running on compressed natural gas in New Delhi.

"Using our technology in exploiting biogas will improve production by 60 per cent from the same quantity of material. There have already been tentative enquiries from several countries, including India."

Said Sunden: "We are on the threshold of a great advance in industrial revolution. I feel just like (automobile innovator) Henry Ford must have felt nearly a century ago."

Antonia Sorella of global environment NGO Greenpeace said: "Besides the air, the project can also help clean up slums in Indian cities. All the waste matter that threatens health can be radically transformed into clean and vital energy."

The two Asian giants have been invited to attend the forthcoming G-8 summit at the Scottish resort of Gleneagles.

India and China are in the process of being incorporated as permanent members of the exclusive and influential G-8 club of the world’s industrialised countries.

Visiting External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh told Deccan Herald that, “The first step has been taken and the British Prime Minister is very keen on it. I don’t think there is any opposition to it”.

Speculation has been rife that the G-8 could soon be expanded into a G-10, following the invitation to both India and China to attend the forthcoming G-8 summit at the Scottish resort of Gleneagles.

The next logical step would be to invite India and China as two of the world’s most powerful economies to participate in an expanded group, the membership of which is said to be even more significant than the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

Natwar Singh’s comments about the G-8 follow his earlier disclosure in London that India, Brazil, Germany and Japan have decided not to press for immediate veto powers if they are invited to join UNSC.

“When we met a few days ago in Brussels, we agreed that the veto power issue should be deferred until 2020,” Mr Singh explained. “First of all we should concentrate on expanding the Security Council beyond its current membership of five permanent members. The issue of veto powers is there, but, as (UK) Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said, no one wants to use their veto.”

UNSC seat

Asked whether India’s inclusion in the UN Security Council was now a done deal, Natwar Singh replied, “I am a realist, we are making every effort. We are four aspirants to the Security Council and we’ve also got a fair number of co-sponsors. Basically, you need two thirds backing, that is 127 votes, from the General Assembly. African countries are meeting in Libya to decide whom they should back on 3-5 July. Lets see what they decide.”

“We are hoping to table our resolution after the EU and Caricom summits, which is in another seven days. We are still looking for co-sponsors. France and Denmark have agreed to co-sponsor the resolution. We have very good support from Russia and UK. We had discussions with the Chinese which we found quite encouraging.”

Natwar Singh is visiting London to participate in a seminar on India at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House.

Shortly after the seminar he attended a press conference with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw. On being asked as to what formula was being adopted by India to resolve the Kashmir issue, Mr Singh said: “India has not shied away from discussing Kashmir. Our Prime Minister and President Musharraf are carrying forward the composite dialogue. Short of redrawing the map, we are willing to discuss everything.”

Mr Straw described India’s improved relations with Pakistan as “nothing short of a miracle” and said London fully supported India becoming a permanent member of the Security Council.

quote:
Like Europeans themselves, most foreign immigrants continue to prefer cities, where many of them already live. And within Europe, migration only exports the problem. Western Europeans look toward Eastern Europe as a fallback source for easy-to-integrate migrants, for instance, yet these countries have ultralow birthrates of their own. Ukraine and Bulgaria will see their populations drop by a third by midcentury. With the EU alone needing about 1.6 million immigrants a year above its current level to keep the working-age population stable between now and 2050, a much more likely source of migrants would be Europe's Muslim neighbors, whose young populations are set to almost double in that same time. But that's a hot-button issue few are as yet willing to address.

That article mentions about France's exceptionel net population increase. I think that this might be partly due to the higher percentage of immigrants of North African origin (around 6 million). We have no way of knowing since France's republican values strictly bans any race-related statistics.

The same Newsweek edition also has an article on Nicholas Sakozy - the president wannabe. Watch out for this little fella.

Not for this thread but would like mention that same Newsweek (European issue 4 July) offers a very good article on TATA's, info about Vedic houses in US and Bollywood dance classes in London. This all is a huge turnaround from a Chinese-the-best magazine.